My Reading Life From A-Z

November 5, 2013 by bookmammal 10 Comments

I’ve seen a lot of lists like this floating around various blogs and I always enjoy reading them–so I used one as a guide and changed a few of the questions. If you’d like to play along on your own blog, please leave a link to your A-Z post in my comments so I can visit you and read your responses!

Ready? Here we go!

A=Author You’d Like To Meet: I’d love to meet Jodi Picoult. I’ve attended a couple of her readings, and I’d love to talk with her about how she researches her novels.

B=Buy or Borrow? Probably an even split. I usually borrow first—then if I really like the book I’ll buy a copy. But I’ll also go to the bookstore once in a while and just wander around and buy whatever looks good. I also buy a lot of used books online.

C=Currently Reading: “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell. So far I’m loving it almost as much as I loved “Eleanor & Park”!

D=Dog-ear or Bookmark? I try to use a bookmark, but I’m not against dog-earing the corners of my own books.

E=Ereader or Physical Book? Physical books all the way. I have a kindle, but nothing will ever replace my love for actual books and the sight of them on my bookshelves.

F=Fiction or Nonfiction? I seem to go in waves–for awhile I’ll really be into novels. Then I’ll have a spurt of reading nothing but nonfiction. For the past month or so I’ve been reading mainly nonfiction. The books I own are probably pretty evenly split between the two.

G=Glad You Gave This Book A Chance: For some reason I didn’t think I would like “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt—I’m not sure why. I finally gave in and read it last summer and I loved it!

H=How Many Bookcases Are In Your Home? 2 in my bedroom, 1 big one in my library/office, 1 in my kitchen, 4 in my living room = 8

I=Illustrator—Who’s Your favorite? I love the illustrations by Garth Williams in “Charlotte’s Web”, “Stuart Little”, and the “Little House” books. I also adore Graeme Base’s picture books–especially “Animalia”. They’re definitely for kids AND adults!

J=Just Finished: “Sister, Mother, Husband, Dog (etc.)”, a book of lovely essays by Delia Ephron.

K=Kind of Books You Won’t Read: I don’t read romance novels, science fiction, or fantasy. I also don’t read much poetry. I have nothing against these genres or the people who do read them—they’re just not to my taste.

L=Library—How Often Do You Visit? I usually stop by every Friday on my way home from work. I don’t browse there too much—I usually search for books online, put them on hold, and then pick up whatever is ready.

M=Magazines—Which Ones Do You Read? I subscribe to Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, Time, and Yoga Journal.

N= Notes—Do You Write Notes In Books? Sometimes I’ll underline a quote that I like–but only if it’s my own book, of course!

O=Oldest Book You Own?  I have an alphabet book that was my Dad’s—the copywrite date inside is 1937. I collect ABC books and this is one of my favorites!

P=Preferred Place To Read: My big cozy blue chair in my library/office. My bed is my second favorite.

Q=Favorite Quote About Books or Reading: From Maya Angelou: “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”

R=Required Reading—a book that you were required to read for a class. I had to read “The Sun Also Rises” for a class when I was a senior in HS—it started me on a Hemingway obsession that lasted for years.

S=Series You Love: I haven’t lost myself in a series for a long time. I used to love the Faith Fairchild mystery series by Katherine Hall Page.

T=Three Of Your All-Time Favorite Books: I can only pick THREE? OK—I’ll pick three favorite contemporary novels. “The Pact” by Jodi Picoult, “Domestic Pleasures” by Beth Gutcheon, and “The Dive From Clausen’s Pier” by Ann Packer. These are three of my go-to recommendations when anyone asks me for good contemporary book club reads. There’s lots to discuss in each of these and I’ve read all three multiple times.

U=Underrated book or author that you think deserves more attention: I think more people should read Stewart O’Nan’s novels.

V=Very Excited For This Release: “Double Down” by Mark Halperin—it’s being released TODAY (November 5)! It’s a nonfiction behind the scenes account of the 2012 presidential campaign. I LOVED his book about the 2008 campaign, and I’m going to be a total geek and go out on my lunch hour today and splurge on the hardcover.

W=Weirdest Book or Reading Habit: I have to shelve my books by theme. I wouldn’t even think about bringing home a bag of books from the bookstore and just putting them all together on an empty space on one of my bookcases. No—they need to be shelved with other books of the same subject matter or genre.

X=X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your nearest bookcase and pick the 27th book (no cheating!): The Glass Menagerie by Tennesee Williams

Y=Your Latest Book Purchase: “Where’d You Go Bernadette”—I read it on my kindle awhile back and loved it, so I just bought a copy since it recently came out in paperback.

Z=ZZZ-snatcher Book (last book that kept you up WAY too late): I can’t think of one–I can’t stay up reading as late as I used to!